New Worries About Agent Safety

After Attack on Agent, New Worries About Staying Safe
on the Job

(Boonton, NJ, June 1, 2017) — An April attack on an Indiana real estate agent has
renewed concerns about Realtor safety.

Assaults on Realtors remain rare, but the latest
episode brings back memories of the Arkansas agent who
was murdered in 2014. That incident led brokers and
agents to vow to take safety more seriously — and, by
some accounts, agents have grown more aware of the
risks they take.

During the 2016 summer selling season, the newsletter’s
editors visited 16 open houses in three states to see
how agents approached safety. At none of the properties
were our editors asked for ID, and many female agents
ignored rudimentary security advice about not working
alone and not wearing high heels. One female agent
worked alone at an open house in a gritty part of Los
Angeles. And an open house in Florida was left unlocked
and entirely unattended.

A number of mobile apps have stepped in to help
realtors stay safe while showing properties and at open
houses. Relying on GPS technology, the apps typically
allow users to enter details of an appointment, and to
tap the device to indicate that all is well. If the
appointment time expires or the device’s location
changes, emergency contacts are notified.